While a vast majority of northerners opt to make the annual trek down to Florida during the winter months to escape the cold, it seems Lightning defenseman and avid fisherman Keith Aulie has done just the opposite this summer.

Aulie, signed to a one-year deal last month, ventured up to Parry Sound, Ontario this week to take part in a video feature for Angler and Hunter Television in which he joins captain Mike Miller, he not of the Miami Heat, in a “punny” episode entitled “Crappie Day,” although in all honesty it looks like a pretty good one to me.

Bolt Yourself In…

Among those attending the Bauer Pro Hockey Camp this week were New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, and of course, our hometown boy Steven Stamkos.

Each year, according to the hockey giant’s web site, Bauer brings together the best hockey players and gear in the world to put on a one-of-a-kind event that features skills challenges, tips from the pros, scrimmages, and apparently, rollercoaster rides.

It must have been a long day at camp, because following one of the day’s on-ice sessions, Stamkos kicked out of the pads and strapped on the safety belt as he and Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux went joyriding on one of Ontario’s fast tracks, as seen in this picture.

As it turns out, Stamkos is no stranger to the Bauer Camps, as he has also participated in previous years, including in 2010 when he clocked 96.55 during only his second attempt at the hardest shot competition in a display that elicited pleasantries from both Patrick Kane and Eric Staal.

Of course, that was before Stamkos hit 102.4 in the semifinal round that not only took the tape off his blade, but made for a comical exhibition of creative choreography using his hockey stick. Believe it or not, The Hammer then stepped it up another notch to finally top out at 104.5, causing several in attendance to question the functionality of the radar gun.